Trump: I’m pro-life now

posted at 9:53 pm on April 8, 2011 by Allahpundit

Via the Brody File, I feel obliged to post this now that he’s the tea-party frontrunner and the recipient of some surprisingly encouraging buzz from evangelical leaders. You know what the most fun part of having Trump in the race would be? The fact that he’s basically the bizarro Romney. They’re oddly alike in some ways. Each has been wildly successful in business and used it as a springboard to other prominent pursuits. Each is highly regarded for his managerial ability, to the extent that Trump had a whole television series built around it. And each is suspect for being excessively opportunistic, replete with conveniently timed awakenings on social issues that matter dearly to the Republican base. Stylistically, though, they couldn’t be more different, Romney buttoned-up and hesitant, Trump flamboyant and oozing roguish charm. Ironically, I think the latter works better for political pandering. When a politician tells you what you want to hear and expects you to believe him, you feel insulted by both the lie and the insult to your intelligence. But when he tells you what you want to hear and seems not to care much whether you believe him or not, it’s a lesser offense. You know he’s pandering and he knows that you know he’s pandering, and, well, there’s some honesty in that.

Which is not to say that Trump is pandering here. Maybe he’s on the level; people — like Mitt Romney! — have changed their minds on abortion before. But I’m mighty curious to see as the race develops (and it sure sounds like it’s developing) whether he gets a wider berth than Mitt did among the base for his social-issue changes of heart.

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As much as 34 years of following Donald Trump’s escapades has made me see him as a P.T. Barnum-ish showman just waiting for his next sucker, and as someone who’s refusal to admit shame, failure or contradictions means his opportunism is limitless, evem I can’t believe he’d pander on the abortion issue to this extent, simply to gain traction with Republican voters.

Throwing this one out here will infuriate his peers in the New York-Palm Beach social scene evem more than his recent Obama birther statements will and he knows it, so I think this is a legitimate change of heart. But even so, if The Donald was elected president, he’d still turn into the Washington version of Arnold Schwartsemegger within 18 months of taking office.

He is NOT an honorable guy. He’s fallen into bankruptcy how many times? So how many people who were owed money by him never got paid each time? He may have employed a lot of people on the upswing, but eventually he stiffs a lot of people and not all of them are rich bankers. Yet he manages to keep most of his personal wealth. Great business model. Don’t fall for this BS. His secret to success is that he’s learned how to lie without the body language that normally goes with it. He’s been sent out by someone to play all the Tea Party notes to split up the Republicans. All of the sudden he’s pro-life, he’s a birther, etc. The Dems are petrified of the Tea Party and he is playing a role in this.

We have here two wet finger opportunists who are exactly what they say they are – who belive firmly in whatever they say they belive – for that particular moment. One of these opportunists is timid, the other rapidly vocal.

It amazes me how many other combinations of John McCain and Lindsey Graham that were created.

The “birther issue” is just undignified. I know the “conservative base” is all fired up over Trump, but to attack President Obama in such a direct way is not going to produce electoral results. America wants a candidate who can bring everyone together. I think I proved that conclusively in 2008 when I lost by a razor thin 9 1/2 million votes. —-John McCain

I think I am a fairly typical Amercian, and a woman, and I have changed my view on abortion since I was young, even though I am a lifelong conservative on fiscal and other issues. Most women under age 35 are pro-choice. Certainly anyone who came of age around the time of Roe V. Wade, which Trump did, could have seen it as a good thing for society. There were hardly any young people protesting it. Abortion was already legal in New York and California and Illinois and a few other big states.

My views on abortion started changing when a friend of mine had one. It almost ruined her, and though she avoided the “shame” of being an unwed mother, and went on to be married and have two children in her marriage, she has regretted the child she knows she should have had.

I later made another friend who is militantly pro-life. She even insisted on a written agreement with her husband that if she became deathly ill while pregnant, he would save the baby instead of her. I learned a lot while talking to her, about the true gift of motherhood and what it means.

Then when I had my own children, and felt them growing inside me, I knew that I could never kill one of them, no matter the circumstances. I believed they were given to me by God, even though I was horribly sick with my first one and had to be hospitalized twice and lost 25 pounds. A few friends suggested to me that I have an abortion because the pregnancy was so difficult.

It has been a long journey for me. Some would say I am now hypocritical, since I am no longer of childbearing age. But I also have a teenage son and daughter now, and I know that a pregnancy at this age could be detrimental to the future they want. I know how I would feel if either of them created a child at their age. I would want them to take responsibility for the gift God has given them.

So I can certainly believe that Donald Trump, and even Mitt Romney, has changed his views on this over the years. It makes a lot more sense to me than watching some self-proclaimed Catholic like Rudy Giuliani or Nancy Pelosi insist that abortion is OK and should be legal.

The abortion issue isn’t going to be resolved by the next president we elect. I’m a lot more interested in the things he can do. I realize that SC Justice selection does play a part, but any president fitting other conservative criteria isn’t going to drop the ball there,..at least, on purpose.

Monday, July 21, 2008 - An editorial written by Republican presidential hopeful McCain has been rejected by the NEW YORK TIMES — less than a week after the paper published an essay written by Obama, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

The paper’s decision to refuse McCain’s direct rebuttal to Obama’s ‘My Plan for Iraq’ has ignited explosive charges of media bias in top Republican circles.

‘It would be terrific to have an article from Senator McCain that mirrors Senator Obama’s piece,’ NYT Op-Ed editor David Shipley explained in an email late Friday to McCain’s staff. ‘I’m not going to be able to accept this piece as currently written.’

Palin was pushing for it when it would have done some good. Now, not so much. .

gary4205 on April 9, 2011 at 1:32 AM

It was a bad idea from the start. Earlier. Later…wouldn’t have mattered. Anytime you’re on the same side as Samantha Power, you’re on the wrong side. Just one more piece of evidence that Ms. Palin is not ready for prime-time.

I’m not sure whether he’s genuine or not. And, frankly I don’t care. The abortion issue is never going to be resolved. It will never be completely illegal in this country to have an abortion. Whether you agree with it or not it just won’t. So, bringing up the issue only serves as a lightning rod for those on the Right and Left.

As far as Trump goes though, I’m sure his recent appeal to the Right is just tactical maneuvering. But, it’s highly entertaining. While I will probably not vote for the guy (unless it comes down to him and Obama), one has to admit he’s far more dynamic a candidate than Huck, Romney, or Palin. This guy has pinache. He’s a quick thinker, a good speaker, and will go after anyone who is taking a shot at him – much more than the other three. Plus, I would almost pay to see him in a debate with Obama. He would absolutely destroy The One. And he would make it comical to boot.

I like Trump and I believe he outshines all the other proposed candidates but he may have taken Obama’s bait and made a fatal error in pursuing Obama’s birth credentials…which I believe is both a baited trap and a diversion from true Obama scandals (probably revealed in sealed and hidden high school and college records.)

I believe Obama has proof positive of his Hawaiian birth but has deliberately concealed it, hoping for the type of blunder that Trump may have made. If Obama produces evidence (or Trump fails to produce contrary evidence) The Donald will be marginalized and seen as an inept buffoon.Not only that, but Obama will reach “persecuted martyr” status and anyone (even with tons of evidence)further seeking to discredit The One will be ridiculed into silence.

Her pushing for the Libya intervention makes her look worse and worse.

But at least it gives her something in common with Samantha Power.

It’s looking more and more like Palin’s not running anyway.

Dreadnought on April 9, 2011 at 1:19 AM

Palin was pushing for it when it would have done some good. Now, not so much.

As for her not running, keep on thinking that. It should be fun watching you spin out of control when she takes the Oath of Office on January 20, 2013.

gary4205 on April 9, 2011 at 1:32 AM

Gary, there is never a right time to do the wrong thing. The rebels in Libya have been Al-Qaeda linked since the beginning. Therefore, wanting a NFZ, even way back in Feb. would’ve “helped” (in your words) our own enemies! Sheesh, get it into your head: SP was wrong on Libya. She gave a knee-jerk reaction and wanted to “help” people when we had no idea who the heck they were. Turned out, they are Al-Q.

He is NOT an honorable guy. He’s fallen into bankruptcy how many times? So how many people who were owed money by him never got paid each time? He may have employed a lot of people on the upswing, but eventually he stiffs a lot of people and not all of them are rich bankers. Yet he manages to keep most of his personal wealth. Great business model. Don’t fall for this BS. His secret to success is that he’s learned how to lie without the body language that normally goes with it. He’s been sent out by someone to play all the Tea Party notes to split up the Republicans. All of the sudden he’s pro-life, he’s a birther, etc. The Dems are petrified of the Tea Party and he is playing a role in this.
mph on April 9, 2011 at 7:26 AM

————–
TRUMP: The grandparents put that [birth announcement] in [the newspaper] because obviously they want him to be a United States citizen because in those days, people were much more proud than they are today unfortunately for being a United States citizen.

So they wanted him to be a citizen of the United States, for that purpose, and also for hospitalization, for welfare, for this, for that, for all the other assets you get from being a United States citizen. So there are a lot of very smart people who say that is routinely done and that was done by his grandparents. [...]

CROWLEY: I will tell you we’ve checked with both these papers early on — not to the latest when you brought it back in the headlines — but the fact is that the hospitals reported this information to the papers, and the papers printed it.